Dish-washer.



T. W. HEERMANS.

DISH WASHER.

APPLICATION men JAN.29. I915.

1,149,195B Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

44 7 Winesses. 49 3g 5/ 3/ fizz/mil??? T. W. HEER NS.

DISH WASHER.

APPLICATION FILED ]AN.29| 19l5.

LMQ Q 12 FL T 0 W AM d m H P THADDEUS W. HEERMANS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DISH-WASHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

Application filed January 29, 1915. Serial N 0. 4,990.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THADDEUS W. HEER- MANS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DishlVashers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel washing apparatus for washing dishes land other articles, and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an extremely simple device of this character which is operated to force the water among the articles to be washed without the employment of mechanically operated parts, and which, therefore, requires no attention or manual supervision from the time the articles are placed in the washer until they are ready to be removed therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction and arrangement of heating and drain chambers, with means to support the articles to be washed above them, together with valve devices so arranged as to permit the water to be raised quickly and in large volume from the heating chamber in the nature of a geyser action and discharged forcibly on and among the articles to be Washed, the water draining from said articles to the drain pan below andsubsequently returned to the heating chamber to be again forced through the dishes or other articles at intervals.

Other objects of the invention are to simplify, improve and reduce the cost of washing apparatus of this general character.

In the drawings :Figure l is avertical axial section of a washing apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, with parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the basket sup ort and the associated parts. Fig. 4 is a ottom plan view showing means for attaching the stand pipe to the bottom of the washer casing. Fig. 5 is a detail illustrating one of above the heating chamber.

15 designates a reticulated basket within the casing 10 and above the drain chamber to receive the dishes or other articles to be washed.

l7 designates a stand pipe arranged centrally within the chamber and extending from the bottom wall thereof to the top of the casing. The basket 15 is supported on said stand pipe through the medium of a plurality of radial arms 18 that are fixed to or made integral with a hub 19 which is fitted over the upper end of the stand pipe,

the basket being suspended from said arms A through the medium of bails 20. A looking device, such as is shown in Fig. 1, may be employed to lock said hub upon the stand pipe. At the upper end of the stand pipe is provided a lurality of discharge nozzles 22 through which the water, introduced to the interior of the stand pipe under pressure,

as will hereafter be explained, may pass from the stand pipe outwardly upon and among the contents of the basket. Said nozzles are herein shown as formed in the hub 19. A handle 21 is provided for said basket support to enable the basket to be readily removed from and replaced in the washer casing.

The lower end of the stand pipe is herein shown as made up of a number of separate parts suitably, fastened together to constitute a Water-tight conduit, and to constitute in part a valve chamber to receive a valve which controls the passage of water upwardly through the stand pipe. Said lower portion of the stand,pipe consists of a base 22 which is fixed to the bottom of the heating chamber, a valve casing composed in part of an enlarged portion 23 of the stand pipe proper and in part of a lower casing member 24 which is connected to the upper hollow neck portion 25 of the base by means of a coupling sleeve '26. The conduit through the valve chamber thus formed is adapted to be closed by a ball closure 27 which engages an annular seat or seats 28 formed in the lower casing part 24. Sa1d valve is herein shown as held against its seat A as soon as the valve begins to raise off its seat, with'the result that the valve is positively and fully opened to perm t a full rush of water through the stand pipe.

The lower end of the combined valve casing and stand pipe communicates with the heating chamber, near the bottom of the latter, through passages 31 WlllCh are cored out of the lower base portion 22 thereof.

As a means for fixedly securing the stand pipe structure thus formed to the bottom wall of the heating chamber the central portion of said wall is stamped upwardly to stiffen the same and form a recess to receive a disk 32. Countersunk attaching screws 33 extend through said disk and bottom wall and into tapped openings in the base 22.

The drain chamber 14 is supported at its central portion on the valve casing portion of thestand pipe and is exteriorly supported on yielding ring 36 of rubber or like material, whereby an air and steam tight ]01nt is provided between the chamber and the casing wall at this place. At its central portion the bottom of the drain chamber is provided with an opening through which the stand pipe extends and around said opening with an annular oblique flange 37 which is adapted to be confined between an external conical seat formed on the valve casing and an interior conical face formed on a yielding packing ring 38 which may be conveniently forced upwardly against said flange by means of an exterior wedge surface on the upper end of the said coupling sleeve 26. The bottom of said drain chamber slopes from its center toward its circumference so that sediment contained in the wash water which finds its way to the chamber collects in the lower outer part of the chamber.

Arranged between the heating chamber and the drain chamber are one or more valves which are designed to normally prevent the rise of water or steam upwardly from the heating chamber into the drain chamber, but are adapted to permit the passage of water from the drain chamber to the heating chamber. The type of valve herein shown comprises upper and lower casing members 40, 41, the former of which empty or partially empty.

extends upwardly through an openingi in the bottom of the drain chamber an is fixed in place by means of a lock ring 01- nut 43, and the lower casing member is screw-threaded to the lower headed end of the upper member and receives a ball valve at one side of the lower valve casing member. The lower valve casing member is of open work construction, being formed with a plurality of angularly spaced arms 48 which support a seat 49 for the ball when the latter is depressed away from its upper seat. The said ball is normally held against its upper seat by a spring 50 which is of a strength to lift the valve so that it will be held by flotation against its seat, but which permits the valve to drop away from said upper seat when the heating chamber is As herein shown, three of said valves are employed and are equi-distantly spaced about the axis of the stand pipe. The bottom of the drain chamber is formed upwardlyat the places pierced by the valves to form horizontal seats or platforms 52 therefor.

The operation of the device described is as follows: Water is poured into the device in a quantity to fill the heating and drain chambers. When the device is empty it is understood that the valves 44 between the drain chamber and the heating chamber are open so that water passes from the drain chamber to the heating chamber until the same is filled or until the ball valves 44 are raised by flotation against theirseats. The device is set over a burner and a basket filled with dishes or other articles to be washed is suspended therein and the casing closed by the cover 12. As thetemperature 'of the water rises in the heating chamber the pressure generated in said chamber, due to the boiling water, acts against the lower face of.

44 which engages an annular seat 45 formed '46 which extends through apertured lugs 47 valves closed. Therefore, no steam or water passes from the heating chamber to the drain chamber through these intercommunicating valved passages. The seating pressure of the stand pipe valve, due to the weight of the ball and the force of the spring 29, is so graduated that the valve will I not be lifted oif its seat until substantial pressure is developed in the heating chamber. The pressure which initially .unseats the ball valve 27 is reinforced by a substantially larger valve opening force, due to the pressure of the steam acting against the additional area of the valve above the lower seat. As soon as the ball valve begins to rise this sudden reinforcing of the lifting pressure positively and. quickly opens the valve and holds it open. The pressure within the heating chamber forces the water violently upwardly through the stand pipe in the nature of a geyser action, and the water is discharged with considerable force through the outlets 22 and is thrown against and among the dishes or other articles in the basket. As soon as the water which is thus being discharged from the heating chamber into and through the stand pipe reaches the level of the receiving ends of the intake passages 31, steam within the chamber suddenly escapes upwardly through the stand pipe, thereby lowering the pressure within the heating chamber. This low pressure or partial vacuum acts through the Valves between the drain and heating chambers, which are at this time open, to quickly pull the water from the drain chamber to the heating chamber, thereby decreasing the time required for the cycle of operation of the apparatus. The water and the sediment which falls from the dishes or other articles is caught by the drain chamber, and from thence a portion of it passes through the lower valves into the heating chamber. In order that sediment carried by the water may not fall into the heating chamber along with the wash water, the inlets of the lower valve casings are provided with screens 55. As soon as sufiicient water has passed into the heating chamber to float the balanced ball valves 4A to their seating positions, the pressure induced by the boiling water in the heating chamber again serves to open the stand pipe valve and the operation of flushing the dishes is again repeated. These operations are repeated at intervals so long as fire is maintained under the water. It will be noted that the dishes or other articles are not only cleansed by the water that falls downwardly thereamong but the repeated applications of boiling water has the further effect to sterilize the dishes.

The heating chamber is adapted to be emptied by a faucet 56 which has a downwardly turned end within the said heating chamber and acts in the nature of a siphon to empty the chamber to the level of the bottom thereof.

a support in the casing for the articles to be washed, means whereby steam pressure de veloped by the heated water in said heating chamber acts to periodically and violently force the heated water in volume from said chamber among the articles to be washed and means to redirect the water back to the heating chamber.

3. A washing apparatus comprising a casing provided at its bottom with a water heating chamber, a support in the casing above said chamber for the articles to be washed, means controlled by the steam pressure generated in the heating chamber and acting in conjunction with said steam pressure to periodically and violently force the heated water in volume above said support and discharge the water forcibly upon the articles to be washed, and means whereby the reduction ,of the pressure in the heating chamber acts to pull the water downwardly among the articles to be washed and to return the water to the heating chamber.

4. A washing apparatus comprising a casing, a support therein for the articles to be washed, a heating chamber at the lower end of the casing, a stand pipe communicating with and rising from said chamber, and communicating with the upper end of the caslng, a valve in said stand pipe controlled by steam pressure generated in the heating chamber arranged to admit the passage of heated water by steam pressure upwardly through the stand pipe, whereby the water is discharged from the upper end of said stand pipe forcibly upon and among the articles to be Washed, and normally closed valve means to direct the water back to the heating chamber.

5. A washing apparatus comprising a casing, a support-therein for the articles to be washed, a heating chamber at the lower end:

of the casing, a stand pipe communicating with and rising from said chamber, and communicating with the upper end of the casing, a valve in said stand pipe controlled by steam pressure generated in the heating chamber arranged to admit the passage of heated water by steam pressure upwardly through the stand pipe, whereby the water is discharged from the upper end of the said stand pipe forcibly upon and among the articles to be washed, a drain chamber between the said support and the heating chamber to receive the water which falls from the articles to be washed, and a valved passage arranged to permit the passage of water from the drain chamber to the heating chamber while preventing the passage of water and steam from the heating chamber to the drain chamber.

6. A washing apparatus comprising a casing, a support therein for the articles to be washed, a heating chamber at the lower end of the casing, a stand pipe communicating with and rising from the chamber, and communicating with the upper end of the casing, a valve in said stand pipe controlled by steam pressure generated in the heating chamber arranged to admit the passage of heated water by steam pressure upwardly through the stand pipe, whereby the water is discharged from the upper end of said stand pipe forcibly upon and among the articles to be washed, a drain chamber between the said support and the heating chamber to receive the Water which falls from the articles to be washed, a valved passage arranged to permit the passage of water from the drain chamber to the heating chamber while preventing the passage of water andsteam from the heating chamber to the drain chamber, and a screen arranged across said valved passage.

7. A washing apparatus comprising a casing provided with a support for the articles to be washed, a heating chamber at the bottom of the casing, a stand pipe rising from and communicating with the heating chamher and discharging at its upper end into the casing above said support, a drain chamber between the support and the heating chamber, a pressure-controlled upwardly opening valve in the stand pipe; and flotation-controlled downwardly opening valves between the drain chamber and "the heating chamber.

8. A washing apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a casing, a support therein for the articles to be washed, a heating chamber at the bottom of the casing, a drain chamber removably supported be tween said support and heating chamber, a water-tight packing between the drain chamber and easing, a stand pipe rising from the heating chamber and through the drain chamber and removably secured to a support within the heating chamber and adapted to discharge heated water above said support, a water-tight packing between said stand pipe and drain chamber, a pres sure controlled valve in said stand pipe for controlling the passage of heated water therethrough, and a valve between the drain and heating chambers for preventing the passage of steam and water from the heating chamber to the drain chamber, while permitting the passage of water from the drain chamber to the heating chamber.

9. A. washing apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a casing, a heating chamber in the bottom of the casing, a drain chamber above said heating chamber, a stand pipe rising from and communicating with said heating chamber and discharging into the upper end of the casing, a support within the casing for the articles to be washed, means to suspend said support from the up per end of ,the stand pipe, and valved means within said"- stand pipe and between the drain chamber and the heating chamber and controlled by and acting in conjunction with steam pressure in the heating chamber to periodically and forcibly direct heated water in volume upwardly through the stand pipe and discharge it upon the said articles and means for directing the water from {he drain chamber back to the heating cham- 10.-A washing apparatus comprisinga casingfa support to receive the articles to be washed, a heating chamber at the bottom of said casing, valve means to normally cut off communication between said casing and chamber while permitting water to passdownwardly to the ;chamber, a stand pipe rising from said chamber to the upper part of said casing and provided with an internal upwardly facing seat, a valve within the stand pipe to engage said seat and a spring to yieldingly hold the valve downwardly againstits seat.

11. A washing apparatus comprising a casing to receive the articles to be washed, a heating chamber at the base of said casing, a stand pipe rising from said heating chamber to the upper part of said casing and provided with an internal seat consistingof two annular concentric seating faces, the lower one of which is smaller in diameter than the upper face, an upwardly opening ball valve engaging said seat and adapted to be opened by the pressure of.

THAnnnUs w. HEERMANS.

Witnesses:

L. HALL, I G. E. DowLnf 

